Darnussian Liberal Democrat Party
The First DLDP Foundation The party was founded in 2357 by John Rudd, a small time political activist. Rudd was worried at the time that the Imperial Power Party was gaining to much legislative power, and he was unhappy with the responses by the other major parties. At first, the party only took part in local elections, gaining support in several cities in Narikaton and Kozaria. Rudd then moved the party onto the national scene, and took part in the 2359 elections. John Rudd Years 2357-2365 After the 2359 elections, the DLDP had 2 seats and formed a coalition with the NPP. This coalition was intended to upset the IPP’s power base and give Rudd an ally, but it caused the NPP to split the left votes, thus giving the IPP more power. At the 2361 elections, the DLDP was able to gain 7 more seats thus putting their total at 9. This was soon followed by a further gain of 2 seats at the next elections. However at the 2364 elections, they lost 2 seats to the IPP. Rudd was losing ground and support so he resigned as leader and endorsed his Deputy and long time friend Kevin Howard. Early Howard Years 2365-2368 Howard differed from his predecessor in the fact that, rather than try to make deals with the IPP, the DLDP would propose their own bills even if they had no chance of passing. As a result of Howard’s determination, the DLDP gained 13 seats from the NPP who were no longer taking part in votes. The 2368 Crisis Disaster Struck when in 2368, the NPP and DFP were disbanded. The IPP refused to call elections, and as a result they had a super majority. This meant that the IPP could change the nation however they wanted. The number of proposals a party could have was reduced and the terms were increased to 6 years. Howard continually campaigned for early elections, however he was constantly beaten. Eventually, the NCPP returned to help the DLDP fight the IPP's grab for power. Over the next few years, the DLDP was the only voice of opposition in the Darnussian Senate. 2373 Elections At the 2373 elections, Darnussian's voted the IPP out of their majority for the first time in over 20 years. Howard and the DLDP had won the day. Over the next few months, the NCPP and DLDP removed the oppressive changes the IPP made when they had the Super majority. shortly after this, the NCPP disbanded, leaving the DLDP and the NCP in Cabinet. Kevin Howard Presidential Years 2379-2390 In 2379, Kevin Howard ended over 25 years of IPP rule by winning the presidential elections. was also able to gain 44.55% of the Parliament. Kevin Howard remained president until he was defeated in the 2390 election by Robert Schmidt of the National Capitalist Party. Kevin Howard stepped down as party leader after leading his party for 25 years. The party voted Kevin's long time deputy, Lachlan Anderson, as the new party leader by a unanimous vote. Lachlan Anderson Years 2390-2392 The Lachlan Anderson years were remembered because the DLDP struggled to deal with the loss of their long time leader. Even though Kevin Howard remained in the Parliament as Foreign Affairs Minister, the DLDP were not considered as popular as they were with Kevin as leader. The Deputy Parliamentary Leader, Andreas Hume, challenged Lachlan Anderson for the party leadership and won 42 votes to 40. Andreas Hume Years 2392-2394 Andreas Hume was party leader for two years, during which the DLDP sank to it's lowest popularity since 2367. in 2394, Andreas Hume officially disbanded the party. Reformation In 2407, after the death of John Rudd, Steve Newton was able to reform the DLDP and brought it back to national politics. At the first party meeting since 2394, the DLDP voted Steve Newton their Party Leader. Steve Newton Years 2407-2418 After the 2408 elections, Steve Newton was able to negotiate a coalition with the NCPP which allowed the DLDP to have several cabinet spots. While some Hardliners in the Party thought that Newton was selling the parties ideals for a small benefit, many agreed that it was the best way to further the parties ideals. After the 2411, Bruce McManus challenged Newton for the party leadership, however McManus lost the party vote 64-33. Newton went on to serve as President of Darnussia from 2416 until 2419. Denny Shore Years 2428-2446 After many years in the political wilderness, the DLDP once again returned to form a coalition government with the National Coalition. Shore refused to run in the 2429 elections as he wanted to focus on rebuilding the party. The 2432 elections were both a success and failure for the DLDP. While the party lost 33 seats, all to the Socialists, Denny Shore was able to win the Presidential elections. With Denny's win, the DLDP became the first party to have three different Presidents, as opposed to the Patriots who have only ever had one. Even though he has been party leader for very few years, many are comparing Shore with the legendary Kevin Howard. Despite losing the 2438 election, Shore was able to win the 2441 election. Shore was able to remain President until the 2446 election, when he lost the election to the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party were also able to take Government, thus ending 17 years of DLDP government. John Anderson then challenged Shore for the Party Leadership, winning the party vote 40 to 18. After 18 years as Party Leader, Shore found himself on the back bench. John Anderson Years The John Anderson years marked the death of the DLDP. It was during these years that the DLDP were reduced to their lowest levels of representation since 2364. After years of bad performances, John Anderson formally requested the electoral commission to de-register the DLDP as a political party in 2450. The final national conference was attended by all the surviving former leaders as well as all the party dignitaries. The final speech delivered at the conference was an original copy of the DLDP charter speech which, originally read by John Rudd and Kevin Howard in 2357, was read by Denny Shore and John Anderson at the conference. The Speech received a 10 minute standing ovation, after which John Anderson told the convention "No matter what happens, despite whatever the future holds, there will always be a need for the democrats. So ladies and Gentlemen, this is not goodbye so much as it is farewell." The Second DLDP Reformation and Early Francis Rudd years In 2587, Francis Rudd, a direct descendant of John Rudd, was attending a service to mark the 230th anniversary of the formation of the DLDP when he met with George Anderson and Peter Howard who were also descendants of members of the old Party. All three of the men were dismayed at the fact that conservatives had ruled for all but 12 years during the 26th century, but were more dismayed by the lack of an effective alternative. They all resolved to reform the DLDP to provide an alternative. At first, the DLDP only took part in Local Elections, however in 2608 the DLDP took part in national elections for the first time in over 150 years. The results of the first election were promising, with the DLDP capturing 22% of the vote and winning 68 seats, thus becoming the second largest party in the Parliament. Francis Rudd was quickly elected Party Leader and Leader of the Opposition. George Anderson was elected his deputy. Party Leaders Current Leadership Party Leader: Francis Rudd Leader since 2608, Leader of the Opposition since 2608 Deputy Leader: George Anderson Deputy Leader since 2608 Former Leaders John Rudd Founder, Party Leader 2357-2365 Kevin Howard Deputy Leader 2357-2365, Party Leader 2365-2390, Leader of the Opposition 2368-2373, Majority Leader 2373-2379, Prime Minister 2374-2379, President 2379-2390, Foreign Affairs Minister 2391-2394 Lachlan Anderson Deputy Leader 2365-2379, Foreign Affairs Minister 2374-2382, Party Parliamentary Leader 2379-2390 and 2392-2394, Majority Leader 2379, Leader of the Opposition 2379-2383 and 2394, Prime Minister 2383-2394, Party Leader 2390-2392 Ben Andrews Minister for Internal Affairs 2374-2382 and 2383-2394, Deputy Parliamentary Leader 2379-2390 and 2392-2394, Party Parliamentary Leader 2390-2392 Andreas Hume Minister for Justice 2374-2382, Deputy Parliamentary Leader 2390-2392, Party Leader 2392-2394 Bruce McManus Foreign Affairs Minister 2383-2390, Party Parliamentary Leader 2408-2410 Steve Newton Minister of Education and Culture 2374-2379, Minister of Health and Social Services 2383-2394, Party Leader 2407-2418, President 2416-2418 Denny Shore Deputy Party Parliamentary Leader 2408-2410, Parliamentary Leader 2410-2418, Foreign Affairs Minister 2410-2417, Majority Leader 2416-2418, Prime Minister 2417-2418, Party Leader 2428-2446, President 2432-2438 and 2441-2446 John Anderson Deputy Parliamentary Leader 2410-2418, Treasurer 2410-2418, Deputy Leader 2428-2429, Party Parliamentary Leader 2429-2446, Opposition Leader 2429, Prime Minister 2429-2446, Party Leader 2446-2450 Jack O'Brian Minister of Defence 2429-2446, Party Parliamentary Leader Since 2446, Leader of the Opposition 2449-2450 National Organisation Since the reformation of the DLDP by Francis Rudd, it was decided that instead of using the traditional method used by the DLDP of picking the leader the party leader would be selected by the national conference. The national conference was also given the power to elect the national executive and the Chairman of the party. However the Deputy Leader was still elected by the members of Parliament. The National executive comprises of the Chairman of the Party, the Party Leader, the Deputy Leader, the Party Treasurer, the Deputy Chairman and the Chairman of the Young Democrats. The National Executive have the power to overrule the decisions of the conference by a 2/3's vote, and have the sole power of hearing the appeals of No Confidence Motions in the Party Leader. Cabinets The 2374-2382 Cabinet Members Prime Minister: Kevin Howard* Foreign Affairs Minister: Lachlan Anderson Minister of Internal Affairs: Ben Andrews Minister of Defence: Elliot Clark Minister of Justice: Andreas Hume Minister of Education: and Culture Steve Newton Minister of Food and Agriculture: Jake Anderson Minister of Environment and Tourism: John O'Brian Minister of Trade and Industry: Jack Stone *Kevin Howard resigned as Prime Minister shortly after winning the Presidential elections in 2379. The 2383-2390 Cabinet Members Prime Minister: Lachlan Anderson Foreign Affairs Minister: Bruce McManus Minister of Internal Affairs: Ben Andrews Minister of Infrastructure and Transport: Phil Mayer Minister of Health and Social Services: Steve Newton Minister of Food and Agriculture: John O'Brian Minister of Environment and Tourism: Jack Stone The 2390-2394 Cabinet Members Prime Minister: Lachlan Anderson Foreign Affairs Minister: Kevin Howard Minister of Internal Affairs: Ben Andrews Minister of Infrastructure and Transport: Phil Mayer Minister of Health and Social Services: Steve Newton The 2410-2418 Cabinet Foreign Affairs Minister (Later Prime Minister): Denny Shore Treasurer: John Anderson Minister for Justice: Tom Newton Minister of Infrastructure and Transport: Jake Anderson Minister of Health and Social Services: Charles Simpson Minister of Science and Technology: Jack Stone The 2429-2435 Cabinet Prime Minister: John Anderson Treasurer: Tom Tucker Minister of Defence: Jack O'Brian Minister of Justice: Tom Newton Minister of Education and Culture: Tim Doyle Minister of Science and Technology: Jack Stone The 2435-2445 Cabinet Prime Minister: John Anderson Foreign Affairs Minister: George Howard Minister of Defence: Jack O'Brian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport: Allan Crane Ministry of Health and Social Services: Charles Simpson Minister of Science and Technology: Jack Stone Ministry of Environment and Tourism: Mark Lawson Note: A reshuffle occurred in 2441, but did not effect the DLDP The 2445-2446 Cabinet Prime Minister: John Anderson Treasurer: Tom Tucker Minister of Defence: Jack O'Brian Minister of Minister of Trade and Industry: Mark Cahill Political parties in Darnussia Category:Political parties in Narikaton and Darnussia